Certain aircraft passenger seats have individual seat components, including a legrest and a backrest. These seat components can be moved by an actuating device triggered by a hand-operated actuator which can adjust the seat to the requirements of the seat occupant.
Typical legrests have scissor-type linkages to allow the legrest to be stored and positioned out of the way of the user, and then extended to support the user's feet and legs. For the maximum amount of stability, the ends of the linkages are disposed approximately at the full width of the support cushion. However, this puts the linkages very close to the outside of the seat. This position increases the chance of a user snagging clothing or skin in the linkages or, at a minimum, coming into contact with the linkages and smearing grease on the user or user's clothing.
Most fabricators of the legrests accept these difficulties with the linkages as a tradeoff for stability. Even more important for vehicle seats, are weight constraints, so stiffer and stronger materials to compensate for the lack of stability are usually frowned upon due to their additional weight.
Thus, there is a need for a stable legrest design that has a reduced exposure profile than existing solutions.